THREE climbers have been rescued by helicopter from Ben Nevis.

Stornoway Coastguard was called to help Lochaber Mountain Rescue on Britain's highest mountain at 7.30am yesterday.

The coastguard crew picked up mountain rescuers in nearby Fort William, then headed to the mountain.

The climbers were on Tower Ridge, a popular climb on the north face of the mountain, and one was understood to be be suffering from hypothermia.

A spokesman for the coastguard said: "The mountain rescue team located and walked to the casualties, and then took the casualties to a point where the helicopter could pick them up."

They were airlifted to hospital in Fort William.

There have been 12 deaths in the Scottish mountains this year. Two died on Ben Nevis. An inquiry was launched into the death of one of them, Mark Phillips, 51, from Lochaber. It is thought he fell after his safety rope was cut while he was being rescued by an RAF helicopter team.

A climber died in a fall on Bidean nam Bian in Glen Coe, and another died while climbing in Coire an t-Sneachda in the Cairngorms.

Four people died in Glen Coe after being hit by an avalanche, while an avalanche in the Cairngorms in February claimed three lives. Later that week a fatal avalanche killed a hill-walker.